THE
LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE TWO TOWERSThe
Lord of the Rings, the book of the 20th Century, has become the
motion picture event of the 21st Century—a groundbreaking epic
of good versus evil, extraordinary heroes, wondrous creatures and
dark armies of terror. Review
by Greg Wright

(2002) This page was created on December 1, 2002
This page was last updated on
May 29, 2005

The
Two Towers Visual Companion:
The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
by Jude Fisher

Book
Description
The official, fully authorized companion to the second part of Peter
Jackson's award-winning trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The Two
Towers Visual Companion is a full-color guide to the characters,
places and landscapes of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth as depicted
in the second film in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and features
a special introduction by Viggo Mortensen, who plays Aragorn. Lavishly
illustrated with more than 100 full-color photographs, including
exclusive images of Gollum, Treebeard and the battle of Helm's Deep,
The Two Towers Visual Companion offers a privileged tour through
the principal events of the second film. It begins with a recounting
of The Fellowship of the Ring, and then takes the reader on the
separate journeys undertaken by the Fellowship in The Two Towers.
The Ring Quest: in which Frodo and Sam journey alone towards Mordor,
alone that is, except for the sneaking figure of Gollum, who has
been dogging their footsteps since Moria. The Captives' Journey:
in which Merry and Pippin are carried by the fearsome Uruk-hai towards
a fateful encounter with the wizard, Saruman, at the stronghold
of Isengard. The Companions' Journey: in which Aragorn, Legolas
and Gimli pursue the abducted hobbits across the Plains of Rohan
and into the eaves of Fangorn Forest. Also included are a brand
new map of Rohan and Gondor and a specially commissioned battle
plan of the climactic events at Helm's Deep, where a brave stand
will be made by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against Saruman's
horde. The companion offers an unforgettable tour of the haunted
swamp of the Dead Marshes and the lovely but dangerous land of Ithilien
which borders Mordor, the breathtaking kingdom of Rohan, home of
the Horse-lords, its seat of power, Edoras, and the ancient stronghold
of Helm's Deep, and provides an invaluable introduction to Peter
Jackson's The Two Towers.

About
the Author Jude Fisher, who lives in England,
is the pseudonym of an established fantasy author with expertise
in Tolkien's novels.

J.R.R.
Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. After serving in
the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished career as
a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He is the renowned
creator of Middle-earth and author of the great modern classic,
The Hobbit, the prelude to his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the
Rings.

DVD
The Lord of the Rings -
The Fellowship of the Ring(Platinum Series Extended Edition)
In every aspect, the extended-edition DVD of Peter Jackson's epic
fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away
the theatrical-version DVD. No one who cares at all about the film
should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe
the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version,
because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and
there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13).
But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make
for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied
in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more
character development, and more background into what is to come in
the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship
and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense
to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving
Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still
no Tom Bombadil). Extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate
which scenes are new or extended.

Of the four commentary tracks, the ones with the greatest general
appeal are the one by Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa
Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members, but the more technically oriented
commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing.
The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior
to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release,
delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual
effects. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two
discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell,
due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time,
the added DTS ES 6.1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's
a minor inconvenience. Whether in this four-disc set or in the collector's
gift set (which adds Argonath bookends and a DVD of National Geographic
Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring),
the extended-edition DVD is the Fellowship DVD to rule them all. --David
Horiuchi

SYNOPSIS

Considered
by millions throughout the world to be the greatest adventure ever
told, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy chronicles the
epic struggle for possession of the infamous One Ring. In the hands
of its creator, the Dark Lord Sauron, it will give him the power to
enslave the world.

Released last year, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
garnered over $850 million in worldwide box office. The film was nominated
for 13 Academy Awards, more than any other film in 2001, winning four.

At
the end of part one, the Fellowship was forced to divide. The Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers traces the journey of Frodo (Elijah Wood)
and Sam (Sean Astin) as they venture deeper into the land of the enemy
? with the mysterious Gollum (Andy Serkis) serving as their guide
? while their companions in the Fellowship, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen),
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys Davies), struggle to
rescue the captured Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy
Boyd). Their destinies now lie at Two Towers—Orthanc Tower in Isengard,
where the corrupted wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) waits, and Sauron's
fortress at Barad-dûr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. In addition
to Gollum, The Two Towers also introduces the people of Rohan, led
by King Theoden (Bernard Hill), his niece Éowyn (Miranda Otto) and
her brother Eomer (Karl Urban); Faramir (David Wenham), brother of
Boromir; Wormtongue (Brad Dourif); and the Ent, Treebeard.

The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers stars (in alphabetical order) Sean
Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard
Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen,
John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler,
Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood. The film is produced
by Barrie M. Osborne, Jackson and Fran Walsh. The screenplay is by
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Jackson based on
the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. The executive producers are Robert Shaye
and Michael Lynne. Also executive producing is Mark Ordesky.

REVIEWby
Greg Wright

The
Nature of "Story"
In Tolkien's novel The Two Towers, Sam and Frodo take a little
time to rest and philosophize as they approach Cirith Ungol. They
talk about the story in which they find themselves, and about the
nature of Story in general. Not surprisingly, Tolkien's Hobbits
observe that we don't hear about all stories: the unlucky
or the unfaithful are not memorialized. No; it's those who stick
it out to the end that we hear about, those who persevere to the
conclusion of their quest.

Of course, that's not entirely true, nor has it ever been. But it's
certainly true of the kind of tale in which Frodo and Sam find themselves.
And it's as true of Peter Jackson's movies as it is of Tolkien's
books.

Jackson's
is a Different Story
But Jackson's filmed version of The Two Towers is not the
same story as Tolkien's. The titular towers are not even the same
as those emphasized by Tolkien: Orthanc and Barad-dûr have been
substituted for Minas Morgul and Minas Tirith. The framework of
Jackson's story is provided by the Axis of Evil which hems in and
ravages Rohan and Gondor; Tolkien's framework places more emphasis
on the battle for right, waged in the shadowlands which form between
darkness and light.

With a different framework come different details. The story line
of Jackson's movie departs from Tolkien's text in more marked and
radical ways than did the previous installment. This comes as no
surprise to Tolkien fans, however, as the many teasers and trailers
for The Two Towers give up many of Jackson's secrets fairly
easily.

It's
Not Just the Plot
So when seeing Jackson's movie, it's no great surprise that Éowyn
plays a very different role for Jackson than she did for Tolkien.
After all, her voice is featured more, perhaps, in the previews
than in the entirety of Tolkien's novel. We know that she goes not
to Dunharrow, but to Helm's Deep; she gets far closer to Aragorn
than Tolkien ever let her. And this is only one of many such details
that change in Jackson's story.

It's sufficient to say that the well-read Tolkien buff will find
plenty to squirm about in The Two Towers, if there's plenty
of squirm in the buff. But such plot details are really not the
way to measure any story, much less Jackson's. Plot variations are
just the window-dressing for what the story is really about. Why
is Jackson's story particularly worth telling? Why is it particularly
worth watching?

It's
About Responsibility
In The Fellowship of the Ring,
we saw a very different Aragorn and Arwen than Tolkien envisioned.
In The Two Towers, we see more of them, and it's not just
more of the same. We also see a very different Theoden, a different
Éowyn and a different Faramir. Why are they different? Why has Jackson
given us consistently conflicted characters where Tolkien served
up stock types?

Jackson's treatment of Arwen in The Two Towers is a good
case study. We see more of her influence on Aragorn, physically
and metaphysically. We see more of her in flashbacks, and in flash-forwards.
We see more of the tension between her and Elrond than Tolkien even
included in his Appendices. Arwen, like other Jackson characters,
exhibits precisely what drives Jackson's movies: the tension between
being and becoming, and the responsibility that comes with free
will and the exercise of choice. You may want to reject what your
family has stood for, Jackson tells his audience, but there will
be a price to pay if you do. Count the cost, as Jesus told His disciples,
and pay the piper when he calls.

It's
About Redemption
It's also no spoiler, even for those who have never read the books,
that Gandalf makes a return engagement in The Two Towers.
Having fallen into the abyss with the Balrog in Moria, he emerges
victorious and is sent back to aid in the defense against the onslaught
from Mordor and Isengard. For Tolkien, this was a major event. For
Jackson, it's merely a presage of what's to come. Time after time,
Jackson's characters appear to fall, only to rise again. It's as
if Jackson were enthralled by the show-stopping musical number in
the middle of Big Idea's Jonah, and
determined that the God of Second Chances reigns over Middle-earth
as well.

Of course, the repeated motif of victory over death points precisely
to the evangelium which Tolkien designed into his
story: the good news of the victory of Christ over sin, the victory
of mercy over judgment, the victory of life over death. Even Jackson's
Boromir, we will remember, redeemed himself with his valor in defense
of Merry and Pippin, and with his dying fealty to Aragorn. The
Two Towers is all about such redemption, and sets the stage
for The Return of the King.

It's About Faithfulness

Finally, and ultimately, Jackson's movie is about the
faithfulness to be found even in seemingly broken fellowship. The
image of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli gamely pursuing the marauding
Uruk-hai indelibly defines the guiding heart of The Two Towers.
Because of the chosen framework for his story, Jackson's movie is
darker than Tolkien's. Because of the details that hang from his
framework, his movie is more grisly, and may be hard for many to
watch, particularly children.

But in the end, Jackson's movie makes a strong case for perseverance;
for faithful service to those you've sworn to uphold; and for standing
by the right thing, after all has been considered and doubts have
been weighed. Do the right thing, Jackson says, and do it whatever
the cost.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do
it, sins. (James 4:17, NIV)